


The Cost of Forever

by raysgal



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-05-29
Updated: 2011-05-29
Packaged: 2017-10-19 21:13:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/205269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/raysgal/pseuds/raysgal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nothing is as easy as it could be for the Doctor or Rose.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Cost of Forever

Rose twisted in the grasp of the man pulling her through the forest. She kept glancing over her shoulder for some sign, any sign of the Doctor, but there was only the eerie fog trailing in their wake and the howls of wolves in the distance.

“Doctor!” Rose screamed. “Doctor!”

She was slapped with enough force to fall to the ground with a painful thud as she was unable to stop herself with her hands bound behind her back. She bit her lip to keep from crying and attempted to scramble away as the man leered down at her.

“He’s not coming for you, Rose Tyler. Your precious Doctor will never be able to come for you again.”

Rose hoped this man who called himself The Master was lying. She held onto the knowledge the Doctor promised he’d always come for her no matter what. He had said it so many times that it was practically a vow.

“He’s coming,” Rose shot back. “The Doctor doesn’t give up.”

The Master gave her an eerie smile, “That’s just more fun for me then.”

****

The Doctor stumbled from the manor, holding his broken right arm to his chest and ran towards the forest. He knew he didn’t have much time to find the Master and Rose. If they made it to the TARDIS before him, that would be it.

Well, the TARDIS was a brilliant ship and most likely wouldn’t let the two enter, but that only meant the Master would try to find another way - a way that probably included hurting Rose. The Doctor shook his head as he decided he didn’t want to contemplate that thought for too long.

“I’m sorry, Rose,” the Doctor murmured. He tripped over his own feet and just barely managed to stay upright to continue onward. His goal was to save Rose... to stop the Master.

And to tell Rose he loved her.

“What?” The Doctor mumbled to himself.

It wasn’t as though he _didn’t_ love his companion. His hearts beat a little faster whenever she held his hand. He couldn’t help except smile when she grinned at him. And when she hugged him, he wrapped her arms around her tightly, wanting to never let her go. An impracticality because he did need to fly his ship and she’d probably have to go to the loo or want some chips.

He did love her though. That love he hadn’t felt in centuries, and if he didn’t find her then there would be nothing left for him.

“And shift,” the Doctor ordered his body as he continued into the forest.

He ignored every shot of pain that coursed through his body reminding him of the cracked and broken bones, the deep gashes and bruises the Master had inflicted upon him as a ‘Hello’ and a ‘Why the hell did you have to be the one to survive?’. The Doctor focused on remembering the look of terror on Rose’s face as she was forced from him. She needed him, and him, her.

The Doctor paused, leaning against a tree, and sniffed the air. A multitude of smells invaded his nostrils and it took him a moment to sort out which ones were actually useful to him. Of course he knew which direction the TARDIS was in, but if Rose and the Master were still close by then the Doctor could rescue Rose that much sooner. Except they were at least a mile away and were certainly going to reach the TARDIS faster than he would.

“Off we go,” the Doctor said, pushing off of the tree and staggering after the trail of Time and human hormones.

A low growl from nearby caused the Doctor to freeze and his hearts to pound. If the creature decided that he was to be their next meal, there wasn’t much he could do about it. He most certainly didn’t have the strength to fight it off or his Sonic Screwdriver to scare it away.

“Um, hello?” The Doctor called out. “I’d just like to say that I’m not here to hurt you. Or possibly any children you may have. I’m just trying to find my other half. Well, she’s not half of me because it’d be rather impossible to live as a half a person, but I was speaking metaphorically. However, you may not understand what a metaphor is. So, what I really mean is that it hurts very much to be separated from this person. Every time she leaves the room, I can only hope she’ll come back. Sometimes I’ve even taken to following her. Which perhaps is rather silly in retrospect. But I’m only out here to find her. And if you could not eat me I would most certainly appreciate it.”

There was another growl, but it was lower and the Doctor watched as the creature it belonged to trotted in front of him.

“Oh,” he whispered. “Well, that’s a bit of a surprise.”

****

Rose felt as though she was in a trance as the Master practically dragged her towards the TARDIS. Her limbs seemed heavy and for some reason the TARDIS seemed to be touching her mind more than it usually did. The Doctor had mentioned that the ship had taken quite a liking to her. Something he was quite annoyed with whenever Rose found him during his quieter moments. As few as they happened to be.

“You’re only making this more difficult for yourself,” the Master said as he pulled her close.

He tore the chain holding her TARDIS key off her neck and she let out a strangled sob at the new cause of pain and the loss of the sacred object, watching him dangle it before her. That was her key. The key the Doctor had given her. The Master didn’t deserve to have it.

“Give that back to me,” Rose told him.

“Say the magic word,” the Master taunted her, pushing her down onto the wet ground.

“Please give it back,” Rose repeated through clenched teeth.

“So sorry. It was actually Clom, but good luck next time.”

The Master turned away from her and stuck the key into the lock. Nearly every hair on Rose’s body stuck on end with an overwhelming sensation that they were being watched. She wanted to curl up and cry at the utter feeling of uselessness permeating through her body. She couldn’t do that though. She was Rose Tyler and Rose Tyler did not give up so easily.

“What the hell is wrong with your key?”

Rose looked tiredly at the angry Time Lord.

“It usually works for me,” Rose said softly. “Perhaps she doesn’t appreciate homicidal maniacs trying to get inside her.”

The Master let out a small chuckle then reached down and grabbed Rose’s face tightly in his hand. He squatted down with anger etched in his features. His already dark eyes were rivaled the Doctor’s when her Time Lord was livid about the death and destruction being unnecessarily caused. This one probably lived for both of those things.

“You are in quite over your head, little girl,” the Master informed her. “The Doctor will never see you as an equal. He doesn’t fall in love with creatures lower than him. You are going to die and he’s going to move on.” He released her face then stroked her cheek and she shuddered in revulsion. “I can help you though. I can give you the power to live forever.”

“What?” Rose whispered. “How can you?”

“There’s a spark inside you, Rose Tyler. It makes you shine like a star begging to be found. All I need to do is get inside the TARDIS and bring that spark out. And since she’s not letting me in, you can get me inside.”

For half a second Rose felt tempted, but only for half a second. She glared at the Master and took in a deep breath before answering, “No.”

“No?” The Master returned. “No?”

“Are you deaf and stupid?” Rose shot back with as much energy as she could muster. “I said no.”

The Master brought his hand back and Rose flinched in anticipation of the blow.

“I wouldn’t do that.”

The Master pursed his lips together then in a quick move pulled Rose in front of him and put the knife he had tucked away to her throat as they both turned to face the Doctor.

“You’ve found yourself a new pet then,” the Master noted, nodding towards the animal standing next to the Doctor. He took a moment to admire the grey wolf with the entrancing gold eyes at the Doctor’s side and allowed a wave of contentment to come over him before shaking it off. “It’ll probably be just a bit more housebroken than Ms. Tyler.”

“Let her go,” the Doctor returned. His voice demanded to be listened to.

“Give me a minute to think about that,” the Master shot back. He tilted his head for a second. “No. I don’t think I will. She’s keeping me alive right now. You’re going to turn around and walk away.”

“That’s not going to happen, Master. I’m not leaving without Rose Tyler.”

“We have a bit of a problem then,” the Master stated. “You want the human and I want your ship. Except your ship won’t let me in and I certainly can’t let the Doctor find a way to stop me from having fun if I let him live.”

“Then kill me,” the Doctor responded.

“No,” Rose protested and attempted to get out of the Master’s grasp, but the point of the knife pressed deeper into her skin and she stopped. “Doctor, no.”

“Rose, it’s okay,” the Doctor told her. He stepped forward. “If you’ll let Rose go then I help you get into the TARDIS and you can do to me whatever you wish. Kick me out into the Vortex or let a Dalek exterminate me. The only thing I ask is that you let Rose live.”

“That’s it then?” The Master asked sounding a bit disappointed. “I let your companion live and you’ll let me take your ship and kill you? No big battle? You won’t talk me out of trying to torture and kill everything that stands in my way? You aren’t going to make me pay for my apparent crimes?”

“Every time we’ve met I’ve tried to talk you out of that,” the Doctor replied, moving closer to the Master and Rose. His new four legged friend watched the scene with interest. “You have your mind set and I’m tired of trying to convince you otherwise. Just let Rose go and do whatever you wish with me.”

“You know now as I think about it, that sounds like a horribly boring idea,” the Master said. “I don’t like it. Not at all. There’s not enough chaos. Not enough mayhem. Not enough screaming.”

The knife that he had kept poised at Rose’s neck quickly sliced through her skin and he pushed her aside. She fell to the ground with an astonished expression, trying to form words as she locked eyes with the Doctor. Her life blood staining the forest floor.

“Rose!” The Doctor yelled as he dove for her.

The Master grinned and impeded the Doctor’s journey by thrusting the knife into the Time Lord’s shoulder. The Doctor fell to his knees with a grunt and thousands of words of protest died on his tongue. Any coherent thoughts the Doctor had disappeared as his eyes flickered from his former friend, current enemy and only other of his kind in existence to the woman he loved dying a few feet away.

“I’d rather perish on this rock myself then let you decide your own fate,” the Master told him, pulling the knife out and jabbing it into the Doctor’s gut. The two were nearly nose to nose. “I’m going to be the last thing you see as you die, Doctor. Even if you regenerate it’s going to be me you see when you wake up.”

“You don’t have to do this,” the Doctor managed to get out. “I can help you.”

“You’re long past helping anyone,” the Master retorted with satisfaction. “Your companion is dead and what life you have left is mine.”

 _“Stop.”_

The voice was angelic, peaceful and full of the Vortex. The Doctor trembled at what it meant. He might be dying from his injuries, but it broke his hearts knowing the price of that voice. There was certainly no reason for him to regenerate now with the knowledge he’d wake up without Rose at his side.

The Master let the Doctor fall onto the ground as he turned to face the voice. His eyes widened at the sight of the gold shrouded Rose Tyler hovering above the ground. He didn’t notice the wolf that had come with the Doctor was laying next to the woman and no longer breathing. The Time Lord’s mind became unburdened of the dark thoughts and the sound of drums that had plagued him for centuries. For once he felt free of the life that had been dictated to him since looking into the Untempered Schism.

 _“You have a choice,”_ Bad Wolf informed him. _“I can save you or let you go from this mortal coil.”_

“You can not exist,” the Master said. “You’re an impossibility. A story told to children.”

 _“I am here. I am everywhere. I am everything. I ended the Time War. I can touch each atom in existence. I have the power to heal you.”_

“Rose, you have to let it go,” the Doctor whispered before coughing harshly. Blood began to dribble out of his mouth. “Nobody is supposed to hold that much power. You’ll die.”

 _“Fear not, my Doctor. This was to happen.”_

“Please,” the Doctor pleaded. “Let Rose Tyler live.”

“Shut up!” The Master screamed at the fading Time Lord. “Stop making it about you! I need her! I need her to save me! To make it end! You killed them all, Doctor! There is nothing left for me in this universe!”

 _“You have made your decision,”_ Bad Wolf stated. _“Everything shall be righted.”_

“You can’t do this,” the Doctor told her with his last bit of strength as his eyes closed. “You’ll burn.”

 _“And you will live and travel the stars. The Doctor and Rose Tyler in the TARDIS. As it should be. Forever.”_

****

The Doctor gasped as he shot up to a sitting position, taking in a deep breath of air as though he’d been deprived of it for years. His brilliant Time Lord brain quickly reminded him of everything that had occurred and informed him of his new location. He wasn’t dead, he was lying in his bed and Rose was most definitely nearby.

The Doctor immediately scrambled off the bed and out of his room only to run right into the blonde he wanted to see.

“Rose!”

“Doctor!”

It took a millisecond for arms to wrap around each other.

“I’m sorry,” Rose told him. “I’m so sorry.”

“There’s nothing to be sorry for,” the Doctor responded. “Everything is fine. It was Bad Wolf and the Master. And you can’t feel guilty for that. He made his decision and Bad Wolf helped him get it.”

“But Bad Wolf is me. I can still feel it. It wasn’t like…,” Rose trailed off. “It wasn’t like before.”

The Doctor frowned then gently pushed Rose away from him, but he kept a grip on Rose shoulder’s. He looked into her eyes and felt his hearts leap into his throat. There were so many things they’d need to address, but not right now. Now was a time to rejoice in being alive and together.

“Oh, Rose.”

“I’m going to die, aren’t I?” Rose returned quietly. “You told me that I couldn’t live with the Vortex in me. And every time it happens I seem to kill something. The Daleks. The Master. You.” She bit her bottom lip and the Doctor tried to swallow around the lump in his throat at the sight of tears forming in her eyes. “Who’s next? My mum? The universe?”

“You can’t think like that,” the Doctor told her. “Do you remember what Bad Wolf told me? She said something right before I died.”

“No.” The Doctor gave her a look and she deflated. “Yes, but that can’t mean anything. I’m human and you’re a Time Lord. We don’t get forever.”

“Sometimes I’m wrong,” the Doctor said softly. “And sometimes I don’t listen to that little voice in my head that tells me to do things that I should have done in the first place.”

“What are you talking about?” Rose asked.

He didn’t say anything, but instead pulled her back towards him then leaned angled his head just right before pressing his lips against hers. It was a soft kiss filled with promise and love that Rose eagerly returned. The Doctor smiled as the TARDIS seemed to do the equivalent of fireworks in their minds.


End file.
